


Noble at Heart

by LaggingUniverse



Category: Bakugan Battle Brawlers
Genre: Headcanon, How Do I Tag, I Don't Even Know, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I dont know how this site works yet, I worked really hard on it tho, I'm supposed to be getting ready for school, My First Work in This Fandom, Other, This dead uninhabited fandom, This is just an extended hc that I broke into chapters, Trying to figure out how to post bakugan fanfiction on the internet, but here i am, hc, whatever
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-09
Updated: 2017-08-09
Packaged: 2018-12-13 12:12:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 7,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11759619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaggingUniverse/pseuds/LaggingUniverse
Summary: Hello there! Here's a headcanon about how Baron left his family and went to fight for the freedom of bakugan with  the Bakugan Battle Brawlers Resistance. It’s for you, here you go!





	1. Chapter 1

There was a running joke around the neighborhood that the Leltoy family spent more time in the local park than they did in their own home. It wasn’t unwarranted, since their eldest kid, Baron, usually took all of his younger siblings out of the house every day to keep them out of their cramped home.

It was a nice house, and cheap enough for Mr. and Mrs. Leltoy to qualify for with their job’s pay and their government salaries as volunteers for the colonization of New Vestroia, but it wasn’t nearly enough to apply for a house big enough for a family of two parents and seven children. The sad irony was that they had signed up as colonists specifically to get a bigger house, but in less than a year the quadruplets grew from babies to toddlers to four rambunctious little boys that took up all of the new space the new digs had to offer.

It was a half hour after Baron’s little siblings had gotten back from school. Baron had taken everyone out of the house and to the park after a quick snack, and now he watched his siblings play kickball from a shady park bench, holding his sleeping infant brother Bobi.

He really should have refereed the match like he usually did, because five minutes in there was a accident.

Baron didn't catch what had happened, but one moment Milo was trying to steal the ball from Drax, and the next he was facedown in the dirt and screaming. Baron jumped up and ran to Milo while the rest of his siblings hung back. Baron hugged Bobi to his shoulder while he examined his brother.

“It--it’s okay, Milo,” Baron put a hand on Milo's shoulder. “I’ll just run home and get some insta-heal for you.” Baron stood up and looked around at his siblings, who all looked worried for their brother but more concerned about continuing the game. “Hey, can the rest of you guys keep an eye on him? It’ll be faster if I just go and come back.”

“Maron can do it.” Trev immediately suggested. Maron blew a raspberry at him.

“Okay, I got it.” Baron sighed as he helped Milo stand and led him to a bench, Maron at his heels despite herself. He hoisted Milo up and sat him onto the bench, then helped his sister up as well. Maron hugged her brother, but Milo only sniffled, staring at his skinned knees through watery eyes.

“I’ll be quick, okay?” Baron reminded him. Milo and Maron nodded to him, so Baron cast one last look over his siblings before he bolted for home.

Baron couldn't go as fast as he would have liked for fear of jostling Bobi too much. He resolved himself to leave his baby brother at home and run twice as fast on the way back.

He made it home without breaking a sweat, and quickly punched in the front code onto the door’s keypad. One second later, the code and fingerprints were accepted and the door slid to the side for him. Baron walked inside briskly as the door whirred shut behind him.

The GSS Closet (AKA the Government-Sanctioned Supplies closet) was a shiny chrome plate that lined the left wall in the hallway leading to the living room. It despensed everything from aglets to laundry detergent, and even small doses of over-the-counter medicines.

First things first, Baron reminded himself as he walked past it to deposit his little brother into the infant playpen.

Baron had just set Bobi down when he heard a snapping noise. The living room was cramped with tons of toys that cluttered every surface and made all sorts of sounds, but that last one sounded like someone had broken something.

Mira Clay let out a defeated sigh and sank back into the couch. She was in the process of slowly dismantling a standard issue tournament-grade gauntlet that she had stolen. At least, she had been since thst morning. While the tracking chip had long since been removed and thrown away, Mira had been digging relentlessly through the gauntlet's hardware and programming in order to get it to work outside of government sports arenas. She had dreams of stealing a Royal Grade Vexos Gauntlet, but as long as she stayed in the Leltoy residence she couldn't risk it.

She seemed to just realize that Baron was there, and sat up. “Hey, back already?”

“Nah, just getting some insta-heal.” Baron replied, wading through the mess from the playpen on the far side of the living room back to the GSS Closet. “How's the...uh, gauntlet reprogramming thing going, by the way?”

Mira held up a microchip, snapped clean in two. “I messed up. It’s a bust.”

Mira let it fall with a clatter back onto the table and leaned forward onto her arms, elbows on her knees. She cradled her chin in her palms as she stared down at the remains of her hard work. Baron felt rather sorry for her, but Milo was waiting on him.

The chrome surface of the GSS shimmered as it sensed Baron standing in front of it, then a few rows of buttons appeared. Baron pressed the one labeled ‘medicine’ and searched for the ointment selection.

“Well, it isn't too bad.” Mira continued. “It’s rather easy to steal these older models from local stadiums. I’ll just make another trip tonight.”

“Mm-hm,” Baron agreed without listening, pressing the button to request a one-use tube of Insta-Heal: Derma. “Say, have you been sitting there all day?”

Mira pursed her lips and grabbed Baron’s tablet off the table, checking the time.

“Yeesh,” she cringed. “I’ve been here for five hours. I really am going to get clots like this.”

A slot opened in the side of the GSS Closet, dispensing a gray, featureless tube of ointment that was an inch long and a centimeter wide. Mira stood and stretched out her back as Baron dropped the medicine into his shirt pocket.

Bobi suddenly wailed from his playpen. Baron looked at Mira with a pleading expression, hoping she’d catch on.

“Yeah, yeah, I got it.” Mira sighed, kneeling down beside the playpen to search for Bobi’s pacifier.

“Thanks so much. See you, Mira!” Baron bolted out the door.

“See you, Baron.” Mira called back as the door whirred shut behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

Baron sprinted all the way from his house’s front door to the park, slowing to a jog as he approached the park entrance. He listened for the sounds of his siblings playing kickball, but the park was strangely quiet.

Feeling uneasy, Baron walked to the clearing where Maron and her brothers had been playing ball, and spotted them crowded around Milo’s bench. A tall figure crouched among them, spraying something onto Milo’s knees.

Maron caught sight of her brother first. She bounced to her feet and shouted for him.

“Baron! Baron come look,” Maron ran over and grabbed one of Baron’s hands with both of her own. “this nice man had some insta-heal for Milo!”

Baron let himself be dragged over to his little brother, staring at the man.

He was using a medical issue Insta-Heal spray bottle, which was of a much different make than the tube of ointment that Baron had in his pocket. The fine medicinal mist actually merged into Milo’s ragged skin, healing the layers with artificial cells that mimicked the cells around them and actually rebuilt the skin scraped off.

This confused Baron greatly. Wasn’t medicine that potent only used by doctors and paramedics?

After one last look-over, the man stood up and Baron realized who he was. He wore a dark green uniform with the logo for the Vestal Worldwide Guard sewn onto the left breast pocket. Instantly recognisable as a civilian-level Guardsman. He turned to Baron and regarded him with an air of interest.

“Ah, here’s the big brother,” The Guardsman smiled, clapping a maroon-colored beret onto his head and adjusting his wraparound sunglasses. “Right on time.”

“I think I’m a bit late, actually.” Baron said, as the now-calm Milo jumped down from the bench and ran behind Baron. He was going to have to return his own insta-heal tube to the GSS now that it was useless. “But thanks for helping my little brother.”

“It’s what we do.” The guardsman replied with a matronly smile. This guy might as well have walked straight out of a government sponsored school safety PSA video.

“Lets finish our game, Milo!” Drax shouted, running away with the ball to the other end of the clearing. Rather bold considering that Milo’s injury was his fault.

All of Baron’s siblings ran back to the center of the park with the ball. Baron might have joined them, but the guardsman put a hand on his shoulder and spoke to him in a low voice.

“I’m afraid I’m on duty, champ. The Guard is sweeping this sector for stolen government property. All civilians are advised to stay in their homes to prevent any...mix-ups. You understand.”

Baron spared a glance at the guardsman’s face. If nothing else, he looked serious.

“Yeah. Just give me a minute.” Baron replied cheerfully. “Hey guys! We’re going back home so the guardsmen can do their work--”

“Whaaaat?”

“Awh…”

“I DON'T WANNAAAAAA--”

“Hino, please stop screaming…” Baron sighed as he tried to get his crying brother to stop kicking him.

Maron, however, obeyed immediately, standing next to Baron as he tried to wrangle all of his dissapointed brothers. He wasn't taken seriously until he grabbed the ball and held it over his head and proclaimed ‘for the last time’ that they were leaving.

As they walked through the park gates, Maron thought she heard the buzz of a bug’s wings pass by her ears. But then, Hino started screaming again, and she thought nothing of it.


	3. Chapter 3

The walk back home was uneventful, barring how noisy their procession was. About halfway back to the house Hino’s tantrum had gotten so loud and incessant that Baron had to carry him, red-faced and screeching, on his shoulder. This was not made any easier by Maron, who insisted on holding Baron’s other hand. She was, however, carrying the ball for him, so it wasn't as though she was burdening him too much, right?

By the time they had gotten back Baron was exhausted beyond compare. He could barely hold up his hand to punch in the code, so it was rather fortunate that his parents saw him coming and opened the door themselves.

“Whoah!” Dad Leltoy swiped Hino from Baron’s shoulder and held him up. “What’s the matter lil guy? You’re usually a lot louder.”

Hino took that as a challenge and released a truly earsplitting screech. Mom Leltoy had to cover her ears, but luckily Baron was mentally too far removed from the situation to hear it as anything but white noise.

“...Ow. Alright, that’s enough.” Mom crouched down in front of Milo. “Sweetie, Baron’s friend told me that you needed some insta-heal. What happened?”

“Uh, um, me and Drax were playin kickball…” Baron didn't hear the rest of it, he walked into the kitchen and grabbed a mug to fill with water from the tap.

“You’re back early.” Ace remarked as he put away the last of the washed dishes and dried his hands on Mom Leltoy’s apron. He lowered his voice to ask, “Any reason why?”

Baron didn't--or rather couldn't--answer until he had filled and drained the mug twice. “Yeah,” He gasped. “the guard is looking for you, just like you said. Both of you guys need to hide.”

“Yeah, I got you.” Ace smiled and hung the damp apron on a wall hook. “Come up with a story for me?”

“Diarrhea.” Baron said immediately.

“Perfect.” Ace clapped Baron on the shoulder and headed off to the bathroom. Baron rinsed his mug off and set it on the already full drying rack, precariously.

After wracking his brain for about a minute, Baron decided that Mira was probably in the hiding spot they discussed that morning. He went through a back hallway from the kitchen to the back exit, and stopped at the door to the storage pantry.

He rapped his knuckles gently on the door. “Hey, can I come in?”

He heard a distant grunt and let himself in, closing the door behind him when he saw just what Mira was up to. She was bent over a shelf that once held a row of cereal boxes, now scattered across the floor to make room for an impromptu work desk. The broken gauntlet from before was in many more pieces, but it was nowhere near as bad as Baron’s tablet.

“Mira!” he hissed. “That’s mine!”

Mira looked at him, but she was holding a flashlight between her teeth and accidentally blinded him for a moment.

“Ah’ll buy youh a new onuh.” She said, then returned to her work.

Baron wasn't one to get mad at people, but this was the worst thing Mira could have done. He stared longingly at the remains of his old tablet, with its screen cracked into glass shards so that Mira could dig out its battery and microchips. Whatever Mira hadn't found a use for was strewn on the partry shelf alongside a large, dull orange bug that had camera lenses instead of eyes and strangely square-ish veins in its wings.

“Mira.” Baron asked as calmly as he could, but still through gritted teeth. “Why. Do you _have_ a surveillance wasp?”

Mira hesitated. “Ith followed youh home.” She tried to explain, then removed the flashlight from her mouth to hold it closer to her project, leaning forward a bit more. “They already know we’re here. I wouldn't have broken your things if I had any more time to spare. I promise I’ll pay you back. Hold it to me.”

Baron leaned his back against the door, burying his face into his hands. This is what he got for letting Ace and his weird tech-geek friend sleep over. It had been just one day, and now this was happening!

Suddenly, Mira stood up and clapped the gauntlet over her forearm. Its gears were noisy, but it was functioning on its own power. She turned to Baron with a nervous, but determined expression. “We’re ready. I’ll get Ace and get out of here, but I’ll leave my bag with you. Just take everything in it.”

“What? No!” Baron blocked the doorway. “Everything you and Ace own is in there! All your money and clothes! Even if you broke my tablet, I can't just leave you with nothing!”

“I’ll be fine, trust me.” Mira pushed her way past him, stepping out into the hallway. “I’m already risking everything with this one last heist.”

Baron, trying not to step on any cereal boxes, took a moment to register the word ‘heist.’ “Wh...M-Mira, what are you planning to do?”

“Nothing someone like you has to worry about.” Mira muttered, then rapped her knuckles on the bathroom door. “ACE! CHANGE OF PLANS, WE LEAVE NOW!”

Baron realized a little too late that Mira had thrown caution to the wind. Ace threw open the door, already shushing her.

“Ace, our target has been confirmed. This sweep the guardsmen are doing is to clear the area for its relocation! If we don't go now we’ll miss our chance--”

Ace actually grabbed Mira and covered her mouth, staring down the hall in fear. Baron followed his gaze.

The guardsman from the park. He was pushing past Baron’s father and running towards them. Ace pulled Mira into the bathroom and slammed the door. Baron thought of putting himself between the guard and his friends, but he lost his nerve and tried to dodge.

The guardsman didn't let him. In one fluid motion, he grabbed his Buzz Baton from his belt, activated it, and struck Baron--


	4. Chapter 4

Baron didn't remember falling asleep, but he woke up on the sidewalk. He was sitting in a glowing ring, Mira and Ace sitting with their backs to him, restrained in the circle along with him. He recognised his street, but he couldn't see his house from where he was sitting. He looked around in complete confusion, until he remembered the guardsman who attacked him.

Baron had been arrested.

“Glad you could join us, champ!” a sickeningly cheerful voice announced from somewhere behind Baron. The guardsman strutted into view, a confident swagger in his step.

“And look who you led me to.” He stopped in front of Baron, pointing to the two people sitting behind Baron with an activated buzz baton. “The self-proclaimed Bakugan Battle Brawlers Resistance.”

Baron wanted to turn his head and look, but the baton was dangerously close to his forehead. It hummed and vibrated with energy, and his previous encounter with the weapon made him incredibly nervous.

“It’s a shame really, what these young people get themselves into.” The guardsman continued, shutting the baton off and walking a few paces away. Baron noticed his family standing in a line near a van with the symbol of the Worldwide Police painted on the side, waiting to be scanned for suspicious materials. Baron's mom held Bobi in her arms, and another guardsman was having a hard time getting Hino to stop crying. Maron caught Baron’s eye, and a steely look of courage passed over her young face. Baron felt as though she was braver than he was, considering the situation.

He remembered Mira and Ace, and craned his neck over his right shoulder. He recognized Ace’s hair color and clothing, but he was slumped over and breathing deeply. Baron elbowed him a few times to wake him up, but the guardsman started to walk over again and Baron pretended he was just trying to scratch an itch.

He froze as the guardsman squatted in front of him. Baron could see his and Mira’s slumped reflection in the wraparound sunglasses.

“Now listen,” he said, as though confiding with Baron. “your parents say that you’re only eleven. I want to apologize for being so harsh with you. You were probably coerced by these older kids, maybe even threatened. But it’s okay. I’ll release you if you just give me the stolen property they’re hiding.”

“Stolen…?” Baron’s unused voice creaked with morning dryness. He cleared his throat and swallowed before he tried again. “You mean the gauntlet?”

The guardsman chuckled. “No, no. These two are hiding something much more important than something like that.” He leaned forward until Baron couldn't tilt his head away anymore. “They have something of royal importance. They are hiding one of the Six Fighting Bakugan somewhere, and if we find it and give it to the Vexos we’ll both be given the highest honors by the Royal Family themselves. I know they’re hiding it somewhere, and if you can tell me where then I’ll let you go right now.”

The guardsman was so close to Baron’s face that he couldn't even shake his head. “I don't know anything about a fighting bakugan.”

“Liar.”

“I’m not lying!” Baron defended, but had to stop and compose himself before his voice cracked. “My...my friend Ace only has t-two bakugan with him. And Mira...Mira doesn't even know anything about bakugan! Like, at all!”

The guardsman didn't react at all while Baron was talking, and stayed silent after. He stayed so still that Baron let his breath fog the lenses of his sunglasses.

The guardsman suddenly stood up. He regarded Baron for just one more moment before walking back to the rest of the guardsmen.

Baron looked over his left shoulder and was surprised to see that Mira was looking back at him.

“You’re awake.” Baron whispered.

“I have it.”

“What?”

“The Fighting Bakugan.” Mira confided in a low voice. “But he won’t let us go if I give it to him. Sit tight, I’ll load up my gauntlet and take Ace with me.”

“Load them into the truck.” The guardsman called, catching Mira and Baron’s attention. “We’re taking them all into custody.”

“What?!” Baron’s dad snapped and fell out of line. He strode up to the guardsman who gave the order. “You said that my family was innocent. Why are we being detained, huh?!”

The guardsman lit up the buzz baton and struck Baron’s dad on the side of the head. He fell to the ground with a thud, and the rest of the guards hurried to drag him to the truck as the rest of Baron’s family started crying out to him. The guardsman pointed the baton at them, and Baron’s mom fearfully shushed her children.

“Innocent?” The guardsman mocked. “You people, hiding the enemies of the royal family in your own home, you think you’re innocent?”

“They are innocent!” Baron screamed.

The guardsmen all turned to look at him, and Baron’s voice died in his throat. He had spoken with a half-formed plan in mind, and one that was looking to be riskier by the minute. But the memory of how he had tried to run instead of helping his friends reminded him that he was screwed either way. If he was going to be arrested, he might as well spare his family the same fate.

“I...I lied. I know where the fighting bakugan is. I’m hiding it in my clothes.”

The guardsman was silent. Then, a slow smile spread over his face. “Let me guess. You can’t give it to me because you can't reach the place you hid it. But, if I let you go, you’ll gladly give it to me and won’t try to make any escape attempts.” Baron’s heart sunk as the guardsman laughed at him. “Tell me, how stupid do you think I am?”

“Stupid enough.” Mira held up a gauntlet-clad arm. “Field, Open!”


	5. Chapter 5

The past few minutes had been a blur of screaming voices and pitch-black bat wings.

Mira had tasked Baron with holding onto Ace as she stopped time and freed them all from their restraints. She had thrown a Darkus Percival and activated his Misty Shadow ability to make a clean getaway, but she had made just one mistake.

“I told you, you shouldn't get involved with this!” Mira yelled over the wind at Percival’s other shoulder, where Baron was still holding Ace with his arms around his shoulders and waist. Her plan had been for her and Ace to get away and take the blame along with them, but Baron jumping onto Percival’s shoulder of his own free will was an unforeseen development.

Baron didn't have the strength to say anything back. He had decided to take the blame for harboring the Resistance in his family's place, and now he was following through with it. Only, he was starting to realize that he had gotten himself dragged into a fight that he knew he couldn't win, that Mira had tried to save him from.

 _ **Are we close?**_ Percival’s voice rumbled in Baron’s empty ribs as they flew on over Alpha city. Baron had known that bakugan (or at least just Percival and Wilda) could talk ever since Ace had shown him, but Percival hadn’t been so...loud when he was in ball form.

“Not quite!” Mira called. “Don’t slow down!”

 ** _Not like I have a choice,_** Percival grumbled as he looked over his shoulder at his pursuer.

A tall haos bakugan with a fancy stick was flying after them. Apparently, the guardsman from the park was high enough on the bureaucratic food chain to use bakugan outside of tournament arenas.

The bakugan charged up another ranged attack, but they saw it coming. Mira activated a shield ability and the Shiny Arrow glanced off Percival’s cape as he flared it out.

“Don’t get blown off course!” Mira called out, checking the map on her holo-projector once more. “We're almost there!”

 ** _I know!_** Percival yelled in frustration as the shield wore off and he was forced to dodge. **_To my left or right?_**

“Left!” Mira pointed to a tall, shining chrome structure. Percival saw it and changed his trajectory. Baron squinted against the wind to make out what it was.

Driveplex, the royal car garage turned museum. Baron had tried to take his siblings before, but the tickets were too expensive and the lines were too long. What did Mira want from there?

Mira directed Percival to fly around to the back of the building to use it as a shield. Percival carefully touched down in the nearly-full parking lot and crouched to the ground.

“I need to give your ability cards to Baron.” Mira instructed, jumping onto Percival’s hand. Percival complied, but Baron didn't trust her judgement as much.

“Whoahwhoahwhoah, wait a minute!” Baron set Ace down as Percival handed Mira to his other shoulder. Mira leaned down and held out a small deck of cards to him.

“Mira, I can’t brawl like this.” Baron tried to hide how close he was to the verge of tears. Badly.

“You don’t need to.” Mira said firmly, grabbing his hands and pressing the cards into one clenched fist. “I’ll be back in less than a minute. Just use the shielding abilities and you’ll be golden.”

“But--”

“We’re out of time!” Mira called as Percival lowered her to the ground. “See if you can wake up Ace, if you really don’t feel up to it!”

Baron leaned over Percival’s shoulder, trying to catch sight of Mira before she left. All he caught were the Driveplex’s automatic back doors sliding shut behind her.


	6. Chapter 6

Percival noticed, first and foremost, that the guardsman’s haos bakugan looked too nervous to attack. He could tell that this one’s brawler was doing all of the thinking for him. This could have been a great advantage if Percival wasn’t going to have think for Baron.

 ** _If only we had met under different circumstances,_** Percival said as he squared up to the shaking haos. **_You and the brawler on my shoulder would have been a great match._**

The haos hesitated, clutching its staff closer to its chest. The brawler on its shoulder activated an ability, and the bakugan’s staff began to glow. The haos fumbled, then held it aloft.

A shaft of light shone off of the staff, which extended into a pyramid-shaped shield, entrapping them both inside.

“Finally, Nemus! I swear, these things...” The guardsman complained, shuffling through his deck for another card.

 _ **Nemus,** _ Percival repeated, and the haos flinched. **_That IS your name, isn’t it?_**

Nemus still didn't respond. He was holding onto the staff with both hands, and now he was shivering in fear.

“Ah...Percival?” Baron piped up. “I was looking through your abilities, should I activate Darkus Driver…?”

**_Not enough room for that here, I’m afraid. Can you find Tri-Gunner?_ **

Baron squeaked and frantically shuffled through the cards. Percival could hardly tell his brawler apart from his opponent.

A shouted command. Nemus’s brawler had activated another ability, and Percival was cornered. He put up his fists as if to punch out his opponent.

Nemus was still frozen in place, even though his wings were now glowing. Percival caught Nemus’s eye, and they stared each other down.

 ** _How am I supposed to fight someone like you?_ ** Percival murmured, and all of Nemus’s resolve evaporated. He fell to one knee, still clutching his staff for dear life as the ability’s power timed out and dissipated.

Percival looked down at him, confused and a bit worried. **_Er, I meant it more as ‘you look too weak to fight me?’ Or, uh, 'what strategy do I use’?_**

 _What?_ Nemus whispered, as he stood up. Percival took a step back in surprise. _Don’t **toy** with me!_

The two bakugan stared each other down, now with full intent to brawl. Meanwhile the guardsman on Nemus’s shoulder almost dropped his deck of cards because holy heck Nemus could talk this whole time--

“Ability Activate!” Baron shouted suddenly, holding up a shining darkus ability card. “Tri-Gunner!”

Power flowed through Percival’s body, and with no time to aim. He snapped his arms into firing position, just as three purple energy beams erupted from his three mouths.

The beams fired all at different times, two missed but one struck the top of the staff, disrupting the shield. Percival jumped back, accidentally crushing a row of cars under his foot.

Ace woke up with a jolt. He took one look around and realized that Percival was brawling without him.

“BARON!” He screamed, startling Baron into dropping all of the cards he was holding. “What’re you doing?! Where’s Mira?!”

“I’m, uh, h-here!” Baron snatched up the cards from the floor and all but threw them at Ace. “You know what you’re doing!”

Percival watched as Ace fumbled with the loose cards, giving Nemus an opening. He lunged, and Percival had to grapple with him to keep him from hitting the two bickering vestals on his shoulder.

 ** _Am I still too weak to be your opponent?_** Nemus shouted as he kicked Percival back into the Driveplex building. Fortunately, the building’s coating was strong enough not to collapse under his weight. Percival stood up and charged Nemus right back.

 _ **Now we’re talking!**_ Percival bit into Nemus's shoulder, taking another kick but returning with a solid punch to the face.

“Percival!” Ace called up to him.

 _ **What is it, Ace?**_ Percival said expecting Ace to activate an ability--

“Mira’s back.”

 _ **What?**_ Percival turned around just as the wall behind him exploded.


	7. Chapter 7

Wilda hadn’t meant to cause so much damage to the building with his punch, but Mira _did_ say to make an opening for escape.

With the stolen property wrapped in a sheet and tucked under his arm, Wilda gingerly stepped out into the sunlight to see Percival and Nemus in a very physical battle. They had paused for a moment when he’d destroyed the wall, but Nemus took the chance to headbutt Percival’s neck and they continued fighting as though nothing had happened.

 ** _Percival, we’re leaving._** Wilda gently reminded him, but Percival didn’t seem to hear.

 ** _Percival._** Wilda grumbled, losing patience. **_You are going to squash your brawler if you keep fighting like that._**

Still, he was ignored. It seemed that they weren’t going to make a clean getaway, after all.

 ** _What seems to be the problem, Wilda?_** A voice from the bowels of the partially destroyed Driveplex rumbled. Wilda moved aside as a bakugan stepped out of the building and into the sunlight.

Nemus froze, his eyes full of shock. **_B-B-B-_** he stuttered, his grip on Percival loosening.

 ** _Yes?_** The bakugan asked as Percival threw an oblivious Nemus onto the ground.

 ** _BLADE T-TIGRERRA!_** Percival turned around at Nemus’s shout, seeming to just spot his two allies leaving the scene of the crime.

 ** _Hello, young one._** Tigrerra smiled as Nemus scrambled to his feet. Percival took a fighting stance, but Nemus surprised them all by kneeling down on one knee.

**_I...when I heard that we were looking for a fighting bakugan...I...I never thought that it would be someone as legendary as you._ **

**_Legendary?_** Tigrerra seemed to be enjoying this attention. **_Am I really legendary?_**

 ** _Of course you are!_** Nemus’s eyes shone with pride and awe. **_You fought alongside the bearer of the Perfect core, you were chosen by the Ancient Soldiers! You helped to form the very planet we are both standing on now! You...I can’t believe I’m actually meeting you!_**

 ** _Oh, go on, will you._** Tigrerra was just short of blushing at this point. Wilda shifted his grip on the thing he was holding impatiently.

“Nemus…?” Everyone’s attention flickered to the guardsman. He was staring up at Nemus, in confusion.

“Nemus, I...didn’t realise that you could talk, but listen to me. I know these are your friends, but they are destroying buildings and cars. They’re stealing royal property. They have to be stopped. Please Nemus, tell them to come quietly.”

Nemus couldn’t read the guardsman’s methods the way Baron could. He was talking softly, sure, but Baron could see tge expression that his sunglasses couldn’t obscure. Besides, He’d heard that faux-sympathetic tone too many times today to fall for it.

“NEMUS, DON’T LISTEN TO HIM!” Baron screamed without thinking.

Nemus turned, finally catching sight of Baron on Percival’s shoulder.

“HE WANTS TO CATCH TIGRERRA! HE WANTS TO TURN HIM IN! NEMUS, DON’T TRUST HIM!”

Ace recollected his thoughts. “He’s right...NEMUS, HE’S RIGHT!” Ace cupped his hands over his mouth and screamed right along with Baron. “COME WITH US AND TIGRERRA! WE’RE FIGHTING TO FREE THE BAKUGAN!”

Baron didn't know anything about what Ace was saying, but the reaction it got out of Nemus was immediate. His eyes widened, and he scrambled to his feet.

“Nemus?” the guardsman tried again. “Nemus you can’t--WHOAWHOAWHIA” He didn't get to finish because just then Nemus reached over and plucked the guardsman from his shoulder, setting him down on the roof of a nearby structure.

 _ **I take it that’s a yes?**_ Wilda asked amiably as Nemus stepped in front of Tigrerra with stars in his eyes.

 _ **You don't know how much it means to someone like me,**_ Nemus took one of Tigrerra’s hands in both of his. _**That you are fighting for the freedom of our homeland. I have been a slave to these Vestals for too long to turn you down, Master Tigrerra.**_

_**Kinky.** _

_**Shut up, Percival!** _


	8. Chapter 8

Neither Wilda nor Tigrerra could fly, so they left Percival and Nemus to carry the cloth wrapped thing between them to their final destination. Baron and Ace hadn't seen or heard from Mira for a while, but Wilda and Tigrerra assured them that she was close behind.

 _She’s inside of the thing we stole, rewiring it._ Wilda explained in ball-form on Ace’s shoulder. _She wanted it to be a surprise._

“Can the surprise be a little less, you know, stress inducing?” Ace still had to share Percival’s shoulder with Baron, but now that he was awake he had plenty of time to complain. “She barely tells us anything and then she expects us to go along with her plans to a T. Why can't she be more open about these things?”

“I think she did explain her plan--”

“Shut up, Baron.”

“Why don't you shut up?

“What was that, punk?” Ace and Baron squared up to each other. Tigrerra and Wilda looked to each other in mutual tired frustration.

Percival and Nemus weren’t much better.

_**Hurry up, fanboy, we don't got all day.** _

_**Hmph! If I went any faster, I’d leave you in the dust.** _

_**If you went any slower, we would rot into dust before we even get out of this Vestal dome-thing!** _

_**Well, if you ever get your head out of your cape long enough to--** _

_We’re here!_ Tigrerra announced, as all of the Resistance screeched to a halt. They had stopped in front of some solid metal freight doors. By the looks of the ship hangers around it, they were meant for bakugan collecting aircraft to enter and exit the Alpha Dome.

 ** _Will it let us bakugan through?_** Nemus wondered as he and Percival set the thing they were carrying onto the ground.

 _It will if we are in ball-form._ Wilda assured him. _But before we do anything we are going to have to ask Mira what her plan is._

“Someone call for me?”

There was a hydraulic hiss, then a second later Mira ducked out from under the sheet. Her face and clothes were smeared in oil, and she had a shiny new Royal Grade Gauntlet strapped to her arm.

“MIRA!” Percival kneeled so that the boys could jump down and tackle her in a hug. She was rather tired, so they almost toppled her over.

“Ow, you guys.” She hugged them back. “Okay, okay,” she wrestled herself out of Ace’s grip. “We still have a lot of work to do, you know.”

“So, are you gonna tell us what’s going on with this...thing? You brought?” Baron made a sweeping gesture to the structure Percival and Nemus had been carrying.

“Stole,” Mira corrected, and Baron winced. “and I think now is a good a time as any to show you, since it’s going to double as our escape car and the future base of operations for the Resistance. Percival, Nemus? Would you do the honors?”

**_...Which honors?_ **

Percival grabbed the sheet and swept it off the car with a flourish. **_These honors, glow-stick._**

Ace and Baron gasped as the sunlight caught the chrome of the vehicle. It was easily the size of Baron’s old house, and while it was a bit dented from the trip, its design was colorful and eye-catching. The insignia of the royal family shone brightly on the hood--

“Percival, snap off that insignia. This is our RV now.”

\--the twisted stub of metal that used to be the royal insignia caught the sunlight, which gleamed in the tinted windows and shone even on the tire treads.

Both boys recognised it: he supposedly decommissioned Royal Summer Trailer.

“Wait, you guys are gonna give this back, right?” Baron asked worriedly. “Since you stole it?”

Mira rolled her eyes. “Please. I’m only stealing directly from the absolute richest individuals on the Planet Vestal! Either we take this and use it to help us free the bakugan, or it sits in an overpriced museum and collects dust.”

“Yeah, Baron, we’re only stealing things because it won’t hurt people when they go missing. We don’t do anything horrible like shoplifting. Stuff like that only hurts the working class and makes no statement against the cash-hoarding upper class at all.”

The three Vestals shared a moment of silence to agree on these ethics.

“Alright,” Mira clapped her hands together. “Here’s the plan: you all wait while Percival delivers Baron back home, and in the meantime I’ll try to hack the locking system on the gates. If Percival gets back before then, Wilda will smash--”

“Mira?”

“Hm?” Mira turned her head sharply. Baron jumped at her instantaneous response, but still looked a bit indecisive about something.

About a minute passed and Baron still hadn’t said anything. Mira turned the rest of her body around as Baron fidgeted with his fingers, on the brink of saying something but staying quiet in fear of it coming out wrong.

Seeming to understand, Mira sighed and put a hand on his shoulder. “Baron,we would never have made it as far as we did without your help. Ace and I won't ever forget your kindness. But we are fighting a war against all of Vestal. We are fighting to free a planet, and a species. We don't want to separate you from your family for that. Maron would miss you, you know?”

“I know, but…” Baron sighed, dropping his hands to his sides, avoiding Mira’s gaze. “...can Nemus take me instead? I’m just...grateful to him for dealing with that awful guardsman for me.”

Mira shrugged with a smile. “Ask him, not me.”

Baron looked up hopefully to find that Nemus’s eyes were crinkled in a smile of his own.

_**I’d be happy to.** _


	9. Chapter 9

“So what, you went back?” Marucho asked incredulously. “Then why are you here?”

Baron kicked his legs up on his RV dashboard, the way he’d seen Dan do it before. “Well, I did go back. Or tried to. Turns out, Nemus wasn’t the only bakugan that guardsman had, but Nemus was his strongest and on loan, so he really wanted him back. We had lost all of Nemus’s cards back then, so we couldn't fight him--”

"So Nemus hid him and took him back to us.” Ace ruffled Barons hair as he passed by.“ And we’re still hiding him here until he can go back home or if we free the bakugan. Whichever comes first. Oh and get your feet off the dash, you’ll break something.”

“Alright, alright.” Baron sat up, covering his head with an arm and laughing.

 _So, what happened after that?_ Elfin asked from Marucho’s armrest as Ace left. _Like, what happened to Tigrerra? And to the guardsman?_

“I told you, I don't know anything about the guardsman. And...I lost Master Tigrerra in a brawl against Spectra.”

 _We thought that he was just after our Base because we stole it from the royal family._ Nemus admitted from the cupholder he was sitting in. _We...should have known who his real target was._

Marucho, sensing the suddenly overcast mood, quickly changed the subject. “Uh, d-did you ever hear anything about your parents, and siblings? You saved them from being punished, right?”

Baron listlessly scratched the back of his head. “Well...I don’t know. I hope they haven’t been punished. The whole reason why I ran away from home was to shift the blame for hiding Ace and Mira onto myself instead of them. You know, make it look like it was my idea and that I’d tricked everyone.”

 _It probably worked._ Nemus reassured him. _Oh, remember that time they were on the news? You were so excited--_

“Oh yeah!” Baron sat up. “My parents were asked to come onto the news for an interview about a week after I ran away, before I lost Master Tigrerra. I think I have the recording somewhere…” He started searching on the dashboard’s built in desktop.

 _Well, maybe it’s better that we don't know what’s up with them._ Elfin suggested. _It could mean that they aren't interesting enough to keep track of._

“It’s possible…” Marucho watched as Baron continued to search.

“It was pretty great,” Baron mentioned offhand. “all of my little siblings were onstage, too. My dad answered most of the questions, but they all got to say something. They even let Bobi babble into the mic.”

Marucho watched as Baron’s eyes clouded over, remembering it rather than than continuing the search.

“They asked about little things, mostly. They joked around, all of my little siblings had fun. But my dad answered the more serious questions. He told them about the gauntlet and the insta-heal. He...told them about the guardsman and about Mira and Ace. He told them...he said...that I was…”

Baron’s voice cracked on the last word. He leaned back in his seat, his eyes focused on an imaginary horizon as he tried to calm his breathing. He clenched and unclenched his fists, but his smile remained fixed on his face.

Marucho hopped down from his chair and tried to give Baron a hug. It was an awkward one that went around Baron’s left bicep more than anything else, but Baron returned the gesture.

Nemus looked from his brawler to the dashboard desktop. Baron had pulled up the video, and the thumbnail image was of a man, a woman holding a baby, four unfocused boys, and a small girl with a brave expression. She sat slightly apart from everyone else, as if to save a space for her brother.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just the skeleton I wrote when constructing the rough draft. I think you'll notice that the fic went a liiiiiiiittle differently than planned.

-Baron is playing with his siblings when one of his siblings gets cut, so he goes inside to get a tube insta-heal ointment.

  
-Ace is doing dishes, Mira frantically typing something on her gauntlet, which she hooked up to Baron’s laptop.

  
-Baron goes back outside and treats his sibling

  
-Baron notices a bunch of trucks with the emblem of the royal family on it, so he brings his siblings back inside.

  
-Baron comes back and tells Mira and Ace to go hide in the basement while the guard goes on patrol.

  
-When they get to the room, Ace complains about hiding and Mira shuts him up. Baron is suspicious.

  
-Maron comes to tell Baron, and a guard pushes her and sees Mira and Ace, calls for backup.

  
-The Resistance is found out and arrested. Then, a Vexos comes out to apprehend them in case of any...Resistance? Anyone? Any--ok

  
-As the Resistance is dragged out of the house, Baron’s family are being arrested.

  
-They are put before Shadow--the Vexos who is overseeing this portion of the search gor Tigrerra--for questioning.

  
-Baron pretends that he was keeping them hidden without his family's knowledge.

  
-His family plays along so well that Baron bursts into tears.

  
-Shadow and the Guard accept this explanation, but still need to take in the family for questioning.

  
-Suddenly, Mira opens the field.

  
-She puts down a Gate card next to her, and summons Percival.

  
-He easily breaks their confinements and dissolves into bats to disorient Shadow as he picks them up and flies away.

  
-”Percival, could you do this the whole time??” asked Ace

  
-”Ye,” Percival replies in the deepest voice you can imagine.

  
-Mira announces that they are going to steal the royal RV/18-wheeler-that-is-also-a-house thing that will eventually become the Resistance’s base.

  
-”How are we gonna do that?” Innocent Baron Leltoy asks, Innocently.

  
-”Easy,” Mira says, summoning Wilda.

  
-”WILDA SMASH” says Wilda, demolishing the Royal car garage.

  
-They run to the wildernesses of New Vestrioa.

  
-As Mira removes the tracking systems onboard the RV, she needs some peace and quiet so she tells Ace and Baron go for a walk.

  
-Ace finds a bakugan that he and Mira had freed previously, who has tracked them down for the hundredth time asking to join the Resistance.

  
-Ace and Mira had been turning Nemus down for weeks, but Baron wants to partner up with him.

  
-When they get back, Mira entrusts Tigrerra to Baron.

  
-Spectra watches from a distance with a supervillan smirk, in order to look intimidating and to tie in the fic to the canon storyline.


End file.
